You now are required to install 10 year sealed battery smoke detectors in Milwaukee. We have the law in a large part because Kiddie, the smoke detector manufacturer, lobbied hard in Milwaukee for the law.

The sales literature claims the life to be ten years from the activation. Now if the ten year detectors actually worked for ten years, without being removed, disabled, or the battery dying they would be a bargain for owners compared to replacing batteries once a year. However, will they? I doubt it.

The marketing of a ten year detector may in fact cause more problem as home owners and perhaps some landlords will think ‘Okay, this January 2018, I’ll make a note on my calendar to replace the detectors in December 2027.’ and not continue to check them annually at least.

Let’s be clear: You still need to check the ten year units, just as you did with the regular units.

A worrisome fact is they have an “off” selector that drains the battery and permanently disables the unit. From their literature

Q: How do I disable my alarm?

A: Remove the alarm from the mounting plate by rotating it counterclockwise (as indicated by the arrows on the cover of the alarm). Next, on the back side of the alarm, locate the area marked with a long arrow on the product label. Break through the label with a screw driver and turn the screw to the “OFF” position. This will deactivate the alarm, stop the end-of-life warning and render the alarm safe for disposal by draining the battery.

IMPORTANT: Deactivation of the alarm is permanent. Once the alarm has been deactivated, it cannot be reactivated or mounted back onto the mounting plate and will no longer detect smoke or carbon monoxide. This is why it’s imperative to replace your alarm immediately.

The ten year warranty only covers repair or replacing the unit, not the damage caused by them failing to work in a fire seven years from now, your labor to replace them or even the postage to and from the manufacturer. Some highlights of one warranty:

The obligation of [manufacturer] under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing the alarm or any part which we find to be defective in material, workmanship or design, free of charge, upon receiving the alarm with proof of date of purchase, postage and return postage prepaid,

In no event shall the Manufacturer be liable for loss of use of this product or for any indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, or costs, or expenses incurred by the consumer or any other user of this product, whether due to a breach of contract, negligence, strictliability in tort or otherwise.

The Manufacturer shall have no liability for any personal injury, property damage or any special, incidental, contingent or consequential damage of any kind resulting from gas leakage, smoke, fire or explosion.

Effective March 1, Delta, the second largest U.S. airline by passenger traffic, said it will require passengers seeking to fly with pets to present additional documents outlining the passenger’s need for the animal and proof of its training and vaccinations, 48 hours prior to the flight.

People love their animals. What they often do not comprehend is the impact an animal can have on others.

My wife has severe animal allergies. The allergies are so bad she went anaphylactic on a flight over the Atlantic due to an undeclared purse dog when we were coming back from teaching in Jamaica. When an emergency inhaler did not do the trick, we used her Epipen and the flight crew gave her oxygen.

I thought she would die. Anaphylaxis is terrible it’s like a fish out of water, struggling to breath. It was the absolute scariest couple of hours of my life.

Similarly, she cannot go into a house or a hotel room if there has been a dog in the place, without similar reactions. And animal allergies are not as uncommon as some believe.

Once every rental has to be pet friendly, where do the people with life threatening allergies live? One would hope that Fair Housing laws give more weight to issues that can cause death.

It is clearly advantageous for most people who have businesses or itemize their personal deductions to pay as many deductible items as possible in the next couple of days. (Of course, check with a tax pro and not rely on some landlord you found on the internet before acting)

This could include property taxes, general bills due in the next 60 days, and state estimated income taxes. Perhaps if you have subscription based software etc., you could get a discount by switching to annual instead of monthly payments and move that payment into 2017. Same if you are on an installment plan with insurance let’s say.

We paid as much as we could and I’m feeling a bit broke today. Knowing so many others had to do the same, it got me to thinking.

My prediction is retail and things like autos and refrigerators are not going to sell well for at least the first quarter of 2018 as so much was spent by small business owners in the final two weeks of 2017.

If you are into the stocks and options, perhaps there is an opportunity to make some money, knowing that the economy will be depressed for a couple of months as people recover from the forced spend to move tax deductions into 2017. (But again, don’t take my advice as I am Just A Landlord)

Joe and I have stayed in touch occasionally in the couple of years since he left the AASEW for Princeton. In fact he gave me a really cool Princeton tee shirt for encouraging him to take the leap from Milwaukee landlord to attending one of the top academic schools in the world. Wearing it is the closest I’ll ever get to an Ivy League School. 😉

If landlords like Hahlbeck go out of business, there will be even less affordable housing for low-income families, says Heiner Giese, an attorney for the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin. Both landlords and tenants agree that a lack of such housing is at the heart of the problem.

Disclaimer

I am "just a landlord," NOT an attorney or accountant. If you need legal advice, tax advice or have appendicitis, don’t rely on something you read on the internet and do it yourself. Rather, hire a competent professional.